Key: IF = In Flight Meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Day 1: Saturday, September 15, 2024: Depart
We will depart from the USA. Group flights can be arranged. Reformation Tours can also arrange pre-tour nights in Berlin for anyone who wishes to travel before the tour begins. (IF)
Day 2: Sunday, September 16, 2024: Berlin, Wittenberg
Welcome to Germany! On arrival in Berlin, travelers will transfer to the centrally-located hotel. After time to explore, purchase lunch, and shop, we will gather back at the hotel to begin the tour (time will be confirmed once we know all the flight arrival times.) We will start our Reformation Tour in the early afternoon with a panoramic sightseeing tour of the reunified German capital, highlighting the Reichstag (parliament building), the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the refurbished city center and Gendarmenmarkt. We will also see Alexanderplatz, the famous boulevard “Unter den Linden,” and the Berlin Cathedral. We will continue to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg and check-in our hotel. We will dine in our hotel this evening. (B/D)
Day 3: Monday, September 17, 2024: Wittenberg
This morning our local guide will take us on a tour of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. It was here in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church (Schlosskirche). Although the original doors were destroyed in the Seven Years War, we can see Luther’s texts cast in bronze on the new doors. We will visit St. Mary’s Church where Luther regularly preached and visit the Old Latin School next door. Luther’s former home, the Lutherhalle, is now a Reformation Museum and we will see where he lived with his family, as well as some of Luther’s very own personal library, rare manuscripts, and early Bibles. We will arrange for a time of fellowship today with the Wittenberg English Ministry. The rest of the day will be free to explore independently. (B)
Day 4: Tuesday, September 18, 2024: Eisleben, Erfurt
This morning we will drive to Eisleben, where Luther was born and also where he died. It is sometimes referred to as his Bethlehem and Jerusalem. We will visit both of these homes with our guide, as well as St. Anne’s, an old miner’s church famous for the Biblical Scenes hewn in stone. We will also visit St. Peter and St. Paul Church where Luther was baptized, and St. Andrews, where he preached his last sermon. In the afternoon, we will continue on to Erfurt. We will have a fun dinner tonight in a medieval-style restaurant featuring foods from Luther’s time. (B/D)
Day 5: Wednesday, September 19, 2024: Erfurt
This morning our local guide will take us on a tour including St. Mary’s Cathedral, Church of St. Severus, and the famous Merchant’s Bridge. We will also tour the Augustinian Monastery where Luther became a monk on July 17, 1505. We will be able to see his monastic quarters, including one cell furnished to look as it would have when he lived there. The rest of the day will be at leisure. (B)
Day 6: Thursday, September 20, 2024: Eisenach, Rudesheim
In 1521, while fleeing from the wrath of the Pope, Luther took refuge in the Wartburg Castle after a fake kidnapping staged by his friend and protector, Frederick the Wise. We will tour the Wartburg and see where Luther finished translating the New Testament into German in just eleven weeks. We will have some free time in Eisenach to visit the Bach House or Luther House before we drive down to our hotel in Rudesheim. We will have dinner in a local restaurant. (B/D)
Day 7: Friday, September 21, 2024: Rhine Cruise, Rothenburg
What better way to start the day than with a Rhine cruise! We will board the boat and sail past magnificent castles and the famous Loreley rock to St. Goar. Every bend in the river will bring more stunning scenery, ships pass left and right, and numerous trains roar up and down the Rhine River valley. We will continue on to medieval Rothenburg, where we will have leisure time to walk around the walls and explore the town. (B)
Day 8: Saturday, September 22, 2024: Romantic Road, Füssen
We will have some free time this morning to visit the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop or walk around the medieval walls. We will then travel down the fabled “Romantic Road,” a famous and popular tourist route, displaying a rich and varied cultural landscape, through the Franconian wine country to Bavaria. We will pass small historic villages full of their original charm on our way to our hotel. We will tour the Passion Play Theater this afternoon and see the fabulous costumes and sets in Oberammergau, before we check-into our hotel in Füssen. (B/D)
Day 9: Sunday, September 23, 2024: Neuschwanstein, Füssen
After a leisurely breakfast, we will tour the magnificent fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for the Disney Palace. This castle was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century and is now one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe. We will also visit Linderhof Palace and Gardens, before returning to Garmisch. The evening is at leisure. (B)
Day 10: Monday, September 24, 2024: Munich, Oktoberfest, Freising
This morning we will depart for Munich, Bavaria’s fun-loving capital. We will watch the brass band concert this morning with all the Oktoberfest bands. After lunch in one of the tents, we will have a walking tour of the city, including the Olympic Village, Nymphenburg Palace, the elegant Maximillian Strasse and the Glockenspiel. We’ll end the day with dinner in a beer garden in the charming village of Freising, close to the airport. (B/L/D)
Day 11: Tuesday, September 25, 2024: Return
We will leave this morning and drive to Munich Airport for our flight home. (B)
Please note this itinerary is copyrighted.
